


home together

by kiwi384



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Fix-It, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 19:48:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18644908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwi384/pseuds/kiwi384
Summary: Steve returns the infinity stones to their rightful timeline and pays a visit to an old flame. Meanwhile, Bucky anxiously waits for him to come back—if he ever even does.





	home together

**Author's Note:**

> this is literally just a rewrite of the last few minutes of avengers: endgame. i don't remember all the canon dialogue verbatim so i'm just going by what i can remember. contains some steve/peggy, but steve/bucky is still the heart of this story.
> 
> there are probably tons of fix-its for this scene already, but i had to do something myself too. now if only i could get the actors on board...

PRESENT DAY  
  
Thanos was finally defeated, but it wasn't without sacrifice. The Avengers come together to close this chapter of their journey by honoring Tony and Natasha and fondly remembering their bravery and friendship.  
  
But before they could completely move on from all the events that have happened in the last five years, they had to do one last thing—and they were counting on Steve to do it right.  
  
Bucky and Sam look over at Bruce, who's getting the time machine ready for their last mission; and then to Steve, all suited up, infinity stones and Mjolnir on his hand.  
  
"Don't do anything stupid 'til I get back."  
  
Steve smiles at Bucky, happy to finally see him again. Bucky smiles back.  
  
"How can I?" Bucky's smile falters. "You're taking all the stupid with you."  
  
It's been a lifetime since they said those exact words to one another. When they said it back then, they both knew there was a chance they'd never see each other again. But against all odds, they did. This time, Bucky's not so sure if they're gonna be as lucky.  
  
They embrace, and Bucky's face drops completely. He knows what Steve is about to do. Return the infinity stones to their original timeline and then come back. Should be simple enough.  
  
But Bucky knows Steve. And they are both men out of their time. He knows Steve misses the good old days, because he misses them too. He's anxious that Steve will have a mission of his own, and that he won't bring Bucky along for this one.  
  
"I'm gonna miss you, buddy," Bucky whispers, barely getting the words out.  
  
"It's gonna be okay, Buck," Steve reassures him.  
  
Bucky sure hopes so, and he convinces himself that it will be. For Steve's sake.  
  
Steve steps onto the platform, and Bucky and Sam watch as Bruce counts down. He works the machine, and Steve is gone.  
  
"All right," Bruce says a few moments later. "Bringing him back in 3... 2... 1..."  
  
Nothing.  
  
Bucky's heart drops. Bruce frantically tries again as Sam tells him to try harder, but Bucky is at a loss for words.  
  
So Steve did exactly what Bucky thought he was going to do. Predictable Steve.  
  
His eyes lower to the ground, imagining Steve dancing with the beautiful agent he used to pine for like an idiot. Bucky knows Steve went back for her.  
  
When he saw how Steve looked at her back in the war, he could see that she was the one he had been holding out for, despite Bucky's many efforts to set him up with other girls.  
  
And when he saw how the agent looked back at him, that's when Bucky realized—his Steve is not only his anymore. Nobody had looked at Steve like that before, and it wasn't until Bucky saw her face that he realized: that's how he had been looking at Steve too.

-

1970

Steve carefully returned the Tesseract to where it originally was. All infinity stones were now where they should be. His mission is officially complete.

But he had his own reasons for being here.

He knocked softly at the door.

"Yes, what is i–"

Peggy stood in front of him, shocked, like she had just seen a ghost.

"I hope it's not too late for our date."

Peggy grabs him by the arm and shuts the door. She takes in the sight of him in disbelief.

"...Steve?"

Steve smiles. "It's me, Peggy."

Peggy sighs, tears in her eyes, and shakes her head. "I don't understand... How are you here, Steve? I thought you were... I thought you were gone."

Steve chuckles nervously. "I know it's hard to believe, Peg, but I'm here."

Peggy smiles and embraces him. Steve holds her back. He's missed her so much.

"Where have you been all this time?" Peggy asks.

Steve takes a deep breath. "I've been to the future, Peg." He chuckles when he sees the look on Peggy's face. "I know it sounds bizarre, but I've been there, Peg, and I came back for you."

Peggy smiles. "Oh, Steve..." She takes his face in her hand and looks down, her smile turning sad.

"How have you been, Peg?"

She looks back at him, eyes still shining with tears. "I've been well, Steve."

He catches a glimpse of her desk behind her, and spots a photo of her with a man next to an old photo of his. And then he understands.

He nods to the photo. "I see you've found the right partner, huh?" He asks teasingly.

Peggy turns around, and smiles. "That's my husband, Daniel." She looks to Steve. "You would've liked him."

Steve smiles. "I'm happy for you, Peg. I really am." He sighs again. "I just wanted to see you again."

"And I wanted to see you again too, Steve." Peggy says. "How are you?"

"I'm..." Steve thinks. "Tired." He says, resigned.

Peggy gives him a sad smile. "And how's the future?"

Steve tries to think of the future, of how it's so different from where he came from, but what he sees instead are people. The Avengers. Sam. Bucky.

Steve smiles. "It's beautiful, Peg. I wish you could see it."

"I'll get to see it eventually, my darling."

"I hope you do, Peg." Steve lets out a breath. "I just wish we had more time together."

"I wished we did too, Steve. But the time that we did have, it was so special to me." She places her hand over Steve's heart. "You'll always be in my heart, wherever you are"

"You'll always be in mine, too, Peg. Thank you for everything."

Steve pulls her into an embrace.

"Where will you go to next?"

Steve looks at her. He knows exactly where he's going.

"Home. It's where I belong."

"I hope to see you there soon."

"Just don't be late alright? And I'd love to meet ths Daniel of yours, too."

Peggy laughs. "I'll try my best."

-

PRESENT DAY

"Sorry I took so long."

Bucky snaps out of his thoughts, and that's when he sees Steve on the platform.

"What happened?" Bruce asks with concern.

"Sorry," Steve says. "Had to take care of some business before I left there."

"You had us worried sick, Cap. We thought we'd lost you," Sam says. "You doing alright?'

"I'm fine, Sam. Sorry for making you worry."

"And is everything where it should be?" Bucky asks.  
  
Steve looks at him, and nods. "It is."  
  
Steve and Bucky sit on a bench overlooking a lake while Sam and Bruce head back to the rest of the team.  
  
"You had me worried there," Bucky says, looking straight at the lake. "I thought you weren't coming back."  
  
Steve nudges him. "Couldn't leave my best guy behind, could I?"  
  
Bucky smiles. "And what about her?"  
  
"We loved each other. We still do. But she's got her own life, and I've got my own." Steve looks at him. "I wouldn't want to share this life with anyone else."  
  
"How about having a home and starting a family?" Bucky asks. "You've always wanted that, right?"  
  
"Anywhere you are feels like home, Buck." Steve says. "And it's not the family I imagined I'd have, but I've got a family here, too. And you're a part of that."

Bucky looks back at him tenderly.

"I thought I'd lost you, and all of our friends." Steve says, remembering the sight of Bucky disintegrating into nothing. "I wanted to get you back so bad, Buck, but we were at a dead end. I was afraid of having to live in a world without you."

"I'm here now Steve." Bucky holds him. "And you're my family, too."

Steve leans in to kiss him, and Bucky returns it. They both look at each other like it's the first time, and chuckle.

"Can you believe we made it this far into the future together?" Bucky asks. "Neither of us should've lasted this long, Rogers."

"I never would've imagined living this long," Steve says. "But if I had to, it's obvious that it would be with you. You'd never allow me to be all alone." Bucky smiles and fondly rolls his eyes.

"I used to feel so out of place in this century." Steve continues. "I have the Avengers, and Sam of course, but none of them understand what that's like, you know? Because I shouldn't even be in this century in the first place."

He turns to Bucky. "But when I found out you were here too, it was too good to be true, and I knew I couldn't lose you."

"If it weren't for you," Bucky says, "I wouldn't even remember who I am." He turns sad for a moment, but quickly lights up. "You really are my guardian angel, huh Rogers?"

"Only because you've always been mine, too."

They both chuckle.

"I have to admit, though," Steve says as they look to the horizon. "For all the time I've spent in this century, I barely got to see any of it."

"That's because you were too busy being Mister Captain America. How'd that song go again? The star-spangled man! With a—"

Steve elbows Bucky's side and they both burst into laughter.

"Well I've been thinking actually, I think my time with the shield is up. It needs a new owner." Steve says.

"Who'd you have in mind?"

"Sam." Steve answers without hesitation. "He could do more good with it than me."

Bucky smiles and nods. Sam would be perfect.

"We have to make him sing the song, though."

Steve blushes and tells Bucky to stop joking about it. "Sam doesn't even know the song! He can't know it!" They continue to bicker and tease each other like they were the only ones left in the world.

But the good thing was, they weren't. The Avengers had made sure of that.

For the meantime, the world was at peace and everything was where it should be.

And even though Steve and Bucky found themselves in a different century, the important thing is that they're still together, side by side. As it should be.


End file.
